Category: Education
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Pokeweed
Pokeweed (phytolacca americana) is also known as dragonberries, inkberry and poke sallet. It has a reddish stem, green and white flowers and, in the fall purplish leaves and grape like berries. Pokeweed is native to Michigan, eastern and south North America. It is seasonally edible. In the spring the shoots and leaves of pokeweed are edible but…
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The Moon
When I grew up I remember playing outside at night with the moon as the night light of the evening’s fun; or regretting the moon when I was looking for shooting stars. The moon is a constant object in movies, books, songs, art and poetry. Horror movies have to have a moon. Many songs have…
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Weeds or Wildflowers
What’s a Weed? The answer to that question is a lot more complicated than you might think. Some weeds are considered wildflowers and are welcomed in your garden. Other weeds are edible. Still others have been used in folk medicine over the years. The most common definition is “a weed is something that is growing…
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Cattails and Phragmites
When I was growing up in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s, in the ditches, streams or marshland one would see cattails. The brown top that looks like fuzzy hotdogs were commonplace. In the 80’s, I first noticed this grassy plant in the ditches, that I now know as phragmites. Typha latifolia is commonly known as…
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Chipmunks
Chipmunks are the smallest members of the squirrel family. They are not three cute singing animated brothers named Alvin, Simon, and Theodore. Real chipmunks live in burrows with extensive tunnel systems and multiple concealed entrances. They are found throughout the United States. Chipmunks have an omnivorous diet consisting of seeds, nuts, fruits, buds, other plant…
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Deer Ticks and Chiggers
Deer tick (Ixodes scapularis) is a hard-bodied tick found in much of the eastern half of North America and at Scarlett Mithcell Woods. It is also sometimes known as the black-legged tick or bear tick in some parts of the US. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection spread through the bite of infected deer ticks.…
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Climate Justice Expo
May 23, 2025, Friday Jake Engels, the 7th grade Social Studies teacher at Scarlett, in collaboration with A2zero, will conduct the Climate Justice Expo. The Climate Justice Expo evolves running the groups of students through a series of station activities. Jake is in need of volunteers to manage the stations.
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Mitchell School Neighborhood Forest Project
The Project will have elementary students planting trees as a part of Ann Arbor tree giveaway. The students can choose to plant their tree in the Scarlett Mitchell Woods. On Wednesday, March 19, 2025, Michael Benham, Pat Frey and Judy Schmidt walked with parent volunteer and naturalist, Jessamy Green-Husted, to identify possible tree planting areas…
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Scarlett Nature Club
Scarlett Nature Club – Pat Frey is out of commission after a fall on Friday, March 21. We are fervently wishing Pat a complete recovery! Gwynne Fisher has stepped in to serve as interim Nature Club sponsor for the remainder of the school year. This lively group of middle school students meets weekly on Tuesday…
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Planet parade for February 2025
The planetary parade continues for the month of February. A planet parade is celestial event where at least six planets are visible in the sky: Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus. The last two planet will require a telescope. One should look in the sky just as the sun sets.